Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor has criticised the standard of officiating in their Women’s Champions League quarter-final first leg defeat by Arsenal, stating that the women’s game needs “more respect”. The Blues lost 3-1 at the Emirates, a match where two Chelsea goals were disallowed.
Controversial VAR Decisions
A controversial decision saw Veerle Buurman adjudged to have pushed Laia Codina before heading the ball into the net in the first half. The goal, had it stood, would have reduced Arsenal’s lead to 2-1. Romanian official Alina Pesu made the initial decision, and VAR did not overturn it.
Former England captain Steph Houghton called the decision “outrageous” on BBC Radio 5 Live. Bompastor voiced her frustrations, saying, “It’s really frustrating. It’s always more difficult to complain about the referees when you have lost the game, but it’s not good enough.”
She added, “We need to really find solutions. When you are playing a quarter-final of the Champions League, you need to respect the women’s game. You need to respect the players. They work hard every week to put a good performance on the pitch. For sure, the first goal is a goal. I don’t see, with the VAR, how you can disallow that goal. That’s a shame to be honest. It is what it is and it’s nothing we can control.”
Touchline Frustrations
Bompastor was visibly upset on the touchline and approached the fourth official to question the decision. Chelsea’s players also displayed bemusement, with frustrations further বাড়ানো when Kadeisha Buchanan’s late effort was ruled out for a foul on goalkeeper Anneke Borbe. Replays, however, showed that the decision to disallow Buchanan’s goal was correct.
Bompastor said she received no feedback from the officials regarding their decisions. “It’s always the same. You go to them and ask them to check they made the right decision, they always say ‘yeah, we are checking,'” she explained. “But they made the wrong decision. Nothing changes. When a human makes a mistake, you can understand a little more but when there is the VAR, it’s really difficult.”
Call for Better Officiating
Bompastor believes VAR is beneficial for the women’s game, but the officials using it must be the “right people to check the situations”. She also alluded to a previous incident in the Champions League against Barcelona where Catarina Macario’s goal was incorrectly ruled offside.
When asked about how the women’s game could be respected more, Bompastor suggested bringing the “best” referees to the biggest games. She stated, “If that has to be coming from the men’s game, then maybe. If it is coming from the women’s game, then [use] the best ones.”